Part One (of Three)

A week ago in class, my group and I defined feminism as a movement to end sexism and all other forms of oppression, discrimination, and violence (such as those based on race, gender identity, sexuality, class, faith, age, ability, etc). More positively, we might have said feminism is a movement for the acknowledgement of all people as free and equal. Judith Butler would add that in this definition, ‘free’ and ‘equal’ are contested zones, each with a constantly shifting meaning that enables feminism to remain alive and relevant. Because of the massive scope of the movement, its perpetually changing goals, and the diversity of its constituents, I believe individually tailored feminism is the best approach to contemporary feminism. While bell hooks feared this would lead to compromises on important issues and argued against “lifestyle feminism,” wherein everybody is able to decide for themselves what it means to be a feminist, I believe this type of understanding is necessary in order to ensure feminism’s inclusiveness of all oppressed peoples. In my opinion, anyone who is willing to self-identify as a feminist and believe in at least one feminist cause should be encouraged to do so. Only a welcoming and mutually respectful feminist community will be able to build the bridges necessary to unite people of all different feminisms in the effort to improve our world.

So, that said, why and how am I a feminist? What is the connection between feminism and my lifestyle?